Weekly newsletter: June 3, 2025
Hello!
It seems like it’ll finally feel like June this week, including temperatures approaching 30°C. The current forecast for Wednesday includes a humidex of 36°C.
Since it’s the first very hot day of the year, I’ll link to Ottawa Public Health’s extreme heat and humidity↗ webpage, which includes tips on staying healthy during hot weather.
Councillor Hill and I also hosted our first-ever seniors tea last Friday (photo above). The event was a success, and we both had a great time meeting seniors from across Barrhaven. Every indication points to it becoming a regular or annual event. Thanks to the 150 seniors who attended!
Environmental investigation – 1005, 1045 Greenbank
Happening throughout the rest of the year.
Work will soon begin to complete the environmental investigation of the City-owned vacant parcels at 1005 and 1045 Greenbank Road, located at the northeast corner of Greenbank/Highbury Park.
Similar work took place last autumn as part of the site selection process for the now-cancelled newcomer reception centre (sprung structure) project.
Environmental investigations provide a snapshot of a land parcel’s condition, including soil and groundwater contamination.
As 1005 Greenbank was a former snow dump and 1045 Greenbank formerly housed air traffic control instruments and a diesel generator and storage, environmental investigation work is required by provincial legislation before any future use.
Even though the newcomer reception centre in Barrhaven is no longer relevant and there are no potential other uses in the short-term, staff still want to complete that snapshot of the conditions at the parcel as part of an effort to take inventory of all City-owned land parcels across Ottawa.
City staff and a contactor will be at the site today, Tuesday, June 3, to discuss the pre-work required before the soil and groundwater sampling can begin, including brush clearing and grass cutting. Despite the presence of City vehicles, no work will be taking place today.
The first month or two of work will include brush clearing, grass cutting, and underground utility locates, while the rest of the year will involve borehole drilling and test pitting for soil sampling, and temporary well installation for groundwater sampling.
Once staff finalise their work schedule, I will share it with you in a future newsletter.
Special well water testing drop-off
For residents on well water in Hearts Desire and Rideau Glen.
Seasonal well water testing in the spring, summer, and autumn is recommended for private well owners, even if it looks, tastes, and smells fine.
Free well water testing↗ is offered by Ottawa Public Health through its provincial umbrella agency, Public Health Ontario, whose lab tests for indicators of bacterial contamination, including coliforms and E.coli.
However, as there are relatively few properties on well water in this area, the nearest sample drop-off locations are at Ben Franklin Place and in Manotick and Richmond, so I am trying out a special drop-off event closer to home!
Come by the Chapman Mills Community Building (424 Chapman Mills Drive) on Monday, June 9 between 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm to drop off your well water sample. Parking is available on site and on the street, though arriving before 3:15 pm is recommended as school traffic ramps up around then.
Sampling bottles will be distributed to homes in the two communities by the weekend, along with an instruction and information sheet.
Uptake will help decide if this will become a regular seasonal event.
If the date and time of the special drop-off does not work for you, regular drop-off opportunities↗ continue to be available at Ben Franklin Place on weekdays, and at the Rural Ottawa South Support Services and Manotick Public Library on Tuesdays.
More information about well water testing is available at OttawaPublicHealth.ca↗.
In addition to water testing, regular well inspections are recommended to ensure it is damage-free and in good working condition.
Personal consumption of alcohol in parks
Pilot project begins this summer with no parks in Barrhaven.
Last week, Council adopted updates to the Parks and Facilities By-law, which governs general conduct and use of municipal parks and buildings.
While most updates were technical in nature, it also included updates to language about new gadgets (eg. drones) and simplified wording for improved public understanding. The by-law was last updated in 2004 and featured a patchwork of pre-amalgamation parks by-laws.
Most significantly, the updated by-law includes a pilot project to permit the personal consumption of alcohol in parks.
The pilot project does not provide automatic permission to all parks for the personal consumption of alcohol. Rather, in consultation with the community and local Councillor, individual parks may be designated to permit it.
I supported the item, but I don’t plan on designating any parks in Barrhaven East, as I feel larger citywide parks like Britannia and Mooney’s Bay are most appropriate (eg. having a beer with a barbecue) for such a designation.
Staff will evaluate the pilot period after it ends. However, full implementation will still require parks to be individually designated.
The review also removed a ban on walking sticks on skating rinks, which was a very old provision with no real explanation.
O-Train Line 1
Schedule adjustments affecting select days throughout June.
Rail service on O-Train Line 1 will be adjusted on select days throughout the month to support annual maintenance, the implementation of permanent fixes, and to facilitate further Stage 2 integration works in the eastern extension.
Works to be undertaken include:
Replacing rails at select locations
Upgrades to components of the overhead catenary system
Electrical grounding improvements near Tunney’s Pasture Station
Inspection of the St-Laurent Station tunnel
Train control server upgrades
To accommodate the works, rail service on Line 1 will be adjusted as follows:
Friday, June 6, 9:00 pm to 2:00 am – Trains replaced by R1 buses between Tunney’s Pasture and Hurdman, regular rail service between uOttawa and Blair
Saturday, June 7, 10:00 pm to 2:00 am – Regular rail service between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa, trains replaced by R1 buses between Rideau and Blair
Sunday, June 8, 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm – Regular rail service between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa, trains replaced by R1 buses between Rideau and Blair
Thursday, June 12, 10:00 pm to 1:00 am - Regular rail service between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa, trains replaced by R1 buses between Rideau and Blair
Saturday, June 14, all day – No rail service, all stations served by R1 buses
Sunday, June 15, all day – No rail service, all stations served by R1 buses
Sunday, June 22, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm – No rail service, all stations served by R1 buses
Sunday, June 29, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm – No rail service, all stations served by R1 buses
Line 1 will operate as scheduled at all other times.
Additional service adjustments and closures may be necessary throughout the summer as the eastern extension of Stage 2 begins its testing phase, as well as line-wide rail grinding in the autumn.
More information is available at OCTranspo.com↗. Please note OC Transpo’s calendar graphic is shown with the week starting with Monday instead of Sunday, for some reason.
O-Train Line 2
First major service disruption last week.
A switch issue between South Keys and Greenboro stations that was unable to be resolved overnight caused Line 2’s first major service disruption last week on Thursday May 29, lasting the entire service day.
The line was divided into two to maintain its 12-minute service frequency, with all passengers changing trains at South Keys to continue north and south of the station. Travel times were longer, but the service deviation was overall managed smoothly (hopefully thanks in part to the longer trial period last year).
Additionally, in response to inquiries throughout the first half year of Line 2 service, a formal inquiry was submitted at Council last week about the feasibility and cost of extending the line’s service hours to match that of Line 1.
Wishing you an enjoyable week ahead!
-Wilson